[32] Still, the Lakers guard finished the playoffs with 40.6points per game. But I could've, and I knew I could've. While his famous triple-double season would come a year later, Robertson got off to a fast start right out of the gate during his 1960-61 rookie season in which he . Neither Chamberlains 50 point, 25.7 rebound average nor Oscars triple-double average swayed the media from such a view. His ferocity rarely, if ever, rubbed players, coaches or fans the wrong way. https://youtu.be/JXQniGgIIwM https://youtu.be . "[36], On July 9, 1968, the Lakers made a trade that brought reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers to Los Angeles at the beginning of the 196869 NBA season. [11] West soon became the captain of the freshman team, and during the summer of 1953 he grew to 6ft 0in (1.83m). Led by Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, and John Havlicek, the Celtics would win eleven NBA . Basketball, Thinking, Able. West returned, however, and helped make history. Of the 87 regular season matchups, West holds a 50-37 lead, though Robertson outscored his counterpart by 28.5 to 27.7 points per game. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Baylor's tip-in attempt was thwarted by Sam Jones. "Potentially, I would have to go with Lucas and Robertson, because they are a little younger," said Gallatin. Then as now, it is rings that really validate the best. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The book has had tremendous critical acclaim and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Robertsons career arc is fairly similar. But West committed costly turnovers and L.A. lost the game 108106 despite a triple-double of 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists from West, who became the only recipient of the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award from the losing team. They're all that way on the Celtics, and you can't teach it. Oscar Robertson Calls out NBA for Super Teams Hypocrisy: When Boston Got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, That Was David Sterns Deal. [42] As after Baylor's injury years before, West stepped into the void, leading the NBA in scoring average with 31.2 points per game, and averaging 4.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, earning him his first of four All-Defensive First Team votes and another All-NBA First Team berth after two Second Team years. In some ways, the decision of who was better comes down to personal preferences on playing style do you prefer Robertson with his penchant for racking up triple-doubles or West with his silky smooth moves and shooting? [37] Coach Van Breda Kolff was concerned about the drain at the guard positions after losing Clark, and especially after losing Goodrich in the expansion draft to the Phoenix Suns. You still have to shoot, rebound, pass and play defense," said Robertson, who was honored with West at The Q on Thursday in the 50th anniversary year of their Olympic basketball triumph for the USA in 1960 in Rome. As a 6-foot senior, West became the first prep player in state history to score 900 points in a season, averaging 32.2 points. The 1972-73 Lakers lost to the Knicks in The Finals while in 1973-74, a pulled groin limited West to 31 regular-season contests and only one playoff game. [28] The Lakers struggled during the entire season, winning only 42 games, and were beaten by the Hawks in five games during the first round of the 1964 NBA Playoffs. West is still regarded as one of the best pure scorers in NBA history. Every bit West's equal was Baylor. "There are a lot of bad teams," he said. However, he made the Second Team of the inaugural All-Defensive Team. Before that, the Oscar Robertson Rule was established in 1976, and the ABA-NBA merger allowed the NBA to expand for the 1976-77 season. The Americans' average margin of victory was 42.4 points per game. He thought of the broken noses, the broken hands, the pulled muscles and the lost championships. Oscar Robertson. It seems to bother the Big O more than West, this dulling of fans' memories of their glory days. Clutch." [15], In the 1968 NBA Playoffs, the Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls and the Warriors to set up yet another Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals; it was considered a match of size versus speed, as the Lakers had nobody to guard Celtics coach/center Bill Russell or forward John Havlicek close to the basket, but the Celtics in return had difficulties guarding prolific L.A. outside shooters Baylor, West and fellow guard Gail Goodrich. Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. When West and Robertson played, the Boston Celtics were winning everything. [23] However, West soon impressed his colleagues with his defensive hustle, with his vertical jumphe could reach up 16 inches above the rim when he went upand with his work ethic, spending countless extra hours working on his game. And also, West can still feel the sensation of receiving his gold medal. Oscar Robertson vs Coby White. [8] He led the Lakers in scoring in seven seasons,[20] and only Jordan had a higher career scoring average in the playoffs (33.5 versus 29.1). [27], In the following 196364 NBA season, West became the Lakers' scoring leader for the first time. The East Bank High School legend and Oscar Robertson also led the United States basketball team to the gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics. He made an NBA record 840 free throws, and earned yet another pair of All-Star Team and All-NBA First Team nominations. This display of arrogance motivated the Celtics and angered West. Jerry West SG. Key 1961-62 Fleer Basketball Cards: Wilt Chamberlain RC #8; Jerry West RC #43; Oscar Robertson RC #36; Bill Russell #38; Wilt Chamberlain #47 IA [15] He tied the NCAA five-game tournament record of 160points (32.0points per game) and led all scorers and rebounders in every West Virginia game, including getting 28points and 11rebounds in a 7170 loss to California in the final. Basketball, Team, School. stories. [41] After the loss West was seen as the ultimate tragic hero: after the game, Bill Russell held his hand, and John Havlicek said: "I love you, Jerry". Answer (1 of 15): I would Jerry West because he was on the All Defensive Team five times and Oscar was on none. Some of these triple-doubles that Jerry West or Oscar Robertson or Elgin Baylor had, they would think they had the worst day in the world!. 1970 class-action lawsuit that led to the creation of free agency, legendary game from Wilt Chamberlain en route to a title, another player (Russell Westbrook) to average a triple-double over the course of a full season. Jerry West and the Lakers won Game 3 of the 1962 NBA Finals at the buzzer. He died aged 67. One of the salient features that differentiate the 50s and 60s basketball from eras that came later is the lack of emphasis on stats. [71], West was an all-around combo guard who could take the playmaking roles of a point guard and score like a shooting guard, while being equally strong on offense and defense. Dr. J went decidedly old-school with his selections, naming Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the first team. But just a word to . Over time, Robertson became more of a complementary player to Abdul-Jabbar, though was still effective in his own right, and made his last All-Star Game in 1971-1972 before retiring after the 1973-1974 season at age 35. The Royals made Robertson with the No. He earned the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor despite the loss. He was also a member of the first five NBA All-Defensive Teams (one second, followed by four firsts), which were introduced when he was 32 years old. Jerry West and Oscar Robertson defined the guard position for over a decade. Including playoff games, the Lakers record for the year was 81-16. A smallish youth, West didnt make his junior high football, baseball or track teams. West never thought he had been handed a burden, however. He was the third player in league history to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). MIES (Switzerland) - It happened more than half a century ago, yet for two of the biggest legends in the sport, USA's Jerry West and Oscar Robertson, memories of the gold-medal winning run at the Olympic Games in Rome are crystal clear. black vs. white, East vs. West, etc. However, he started at West Virginia, getting 13 rebounds and 25 points for each game. Before Game 1, West privately complained to Bill Russell of exhaustion, but then the Lakers guard scored 53 points on Boston in a close two-point win. West became the first draft pick ever of the relocated franchise. The 1960 USA Olympic team has been described as the best amateur side ever assembled. But it is less a function of disrespect than of youth. Oscar Robertson vs Russell Westbrook. One of his great joys was playing with Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas on the gold medal-winning 1960 Olympic team. Still, West was named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times in his career, and he was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in four of his final five seasons. With continued individual excellence and improved team play, he earned MVP honors in 1963-1964 on the strength of a career-high 31.4 points (48.3% shooting), 9.9 rebounds, and 11.0 assists per game, once again nearly averaging a triple-double for the season; in fact, over his first five seasons, Robertson averaged a triple-double (30.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 10.6 assists per game). In his final NBA season in 1973-1974, West was still a highly productive player (20.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game), but injuries limited him to only 31 games played and at the conclusion of the season, he would retire from the NBA at age 35. 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